50th Honeymoon Trip Day 2

Saturday May 13

The next morning we had coffee and cookies in the lounge of the hotel and waited for Sid. He offered to come back and pick us up at noon. He arrived and got us to the correct terminal, dropped off our bags and delivered us to the front doors. It cost 30 pounds with tip. So far in transportation in England it has cost us 113 pounds which is close to $226 CAD.

After going through security we were on the ship and headed to our stateroom. We are in room B735 on deck 11. It is a long walk to the main area of the ship but what a great view we have. We are on the starboard side and if it is clear we hope to occasionally see land. It is sunny out today but the wind is chilly. We sat out on the balcony and watched the activities of loading food, people and lots of machinery moving around. We talked with the people who are living next door and waved to some on lower decks. Then we left port, heading to Guernsey, our first stop on one of the channel islands.

After we were out of the harbor we took a walk around the ship. Later we went down to have dinner and then off to the theater. We are not allowed to take pictures though many ignored the request. The show was to be David Copperfield and we thought it was the magician. We were very excited to see him and some magic. Well it was not the real guy but a singer/comedian. He was not all that great and we were disappointed. We got back to the room, watched a movie and then off to sleep.

Sunday, May 14

We woke on Mother’s Day as the ship was anchoring at St. Peter Port, Guernsey. What a cute looking place. They don’t have a deep harbor port so we had to be tendered in. The people who were taking the ship’s tours got to go first and then those of us that were doing our own thing on shore next. At the dock, people dressed up in old vintage clothing for picture taking. We aren’t doing pictures as we never did anything with our last cruise pictures. At the bus terminal we found they had a bus tour for 7.5 pounds each that would take you around the island in 2 ½ hours. We bought tickets and climbed aboard.

The trip was awesome we stopped for pictures at Pembroke Bay, white sand beaches and clear water. Our next stop was at Vazon Bay this area is a large expanse of sand that is a magnet for the Island’s extreme sports. Next we stopped at Portelet Bay which is close to the foot of the south coast cliffs and is a working harbor as well as a safe sheltered beach. From this location we could see Hou Island.

Then we headed to the Little Chapel. I had read about this place and was excited to go and see it. When our bus stopped people thought we were public transit and tried to board us. Our bus driver had to turn people away at the next two stops we are visiting. Anyway back to the Little Chapel. It was the third one that was built and the builder demolished the first two. Possibly this is the smallest chapel that is decorated with broken pieces of china and seashells and pebbles. The hallway exiting is so narrow I felt like I needed to duck down to get out. It was well worth the visit.

We boarded the bus and went to St. Martin Down the the lowest southern point and ended up at Jerbourg Hotel. In the back is a cliff and from here we could see our ship and the island of Sark, Jersey was just a shadow far off into the water. Soon we were back into the town of St. Peter Port. On Sundays they have a Sunday By The Seashore Market. We walked around the market and watched children playing with bubbles from a bubble machine. They sure were enjoying a fun time until their parents took them away. The wind was raw on the west side of the island but on the east side it was very lovely indeed. We headed back to the ship and noticed that the boats where sitting on the gravelly bottom and no water.

Well the tide is out and the boats are in dry dock until the tide returns. It was like Alma, Nova Scotia and just as pretty.

We got the tender back to the ship. I was exhausted so can you believe I went to bed. I slept most of the late afternoon away but didn’t feel anymore rested once I woke. We went down for a light dinner of pizza and got to sit by a window overlooking the island. At 7pm we went to the Captain’s Welcome Champagne Waterfall Party. They never did fill up all the glass so it wasn’t much of a waterfall. Many people went up to pour the champagne with the Maître D'hôtel and had their pictures taken. At 8:30pm we headed to the theatre to watch the Production Show Bravo. It was awesome with the people singing and dancing. Back to the room exhausted. We walked over 8,000 steps today.

Stay tuned for more of our trip around the UK….